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General Motors will pay a $35 million fine to the U.S. Department of Transportation for delaying recalls of small cars with a potentially deadly ignition switch. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, “people were driving cars with a dangerous safety defect. Crashes happened, and people died. What GM did was break the law.” The ten year failure to recall lead to the death of at least 13 people and an ultimate recall of approximately 2.6 million vehicles. Video of the statement is available at USA Today. According to Foxx, the $35 million fine was the maximum penalty under the law. “Safety is our top priority, and today’s announcement puts all manufacturers on notice that they will be held accountable if they fail to quickly report and address safety-related defects,” said Foxx.